Tymal Mills only started playing cricket when he was 14 - and it was another two years before it became a serious part of his life - but by the age of 19 had forced his way into the Essex first team and caught the eye with his natural pace. He progressed through the academy set-up at Essex and represented England Under-19s and his Championship debut came midway through the 2011 season. By then the National Academy scouts had taken notice and that winter he was fast-tracked on to the Performance Programme, before playing for the Lions on their tour of Bangladesh.

Like Essex's other promising young quick Reece Topley, Mills' workload has been carefully managed. Still, there is considerable hype over Mills: before turning 20, he topped 90mph in front of the Sky TV cameras; then, with Mitchell Johnson terrorising England during the 2013-14 Ashes, there were calls for Mills to be fast-tracked to the Test side to provide similar firepower (he had been used for practise against left-arm bowling in the nets). A record of six Championship wickets at 66.33 in the 2013 season counted against him and, even though development continued with the Lions in Sri Lanka, he left Essex at the end of another mediocre season in 2014 to join Sussex in the hope that it would galvanise his career so that the statistics began to meet England's hopes.
ESPNcricinfo staff